Nasa-partnered private US lander Athena possibly toppled over after Moon landing

A private US lander landed on the Moon on Thursday but quickly ran into trouble and may have fallen over.

The lander reached the Moon carrying a drill, a drone, and rovers for Nasa and other clients.

Intuitive Machines said it was unclear whether its Athena lander, standing 15 feet (4.7 meters) tall, was upright near the Moon’s south pole or had landed on its side like its previous spacecraft. Controllers worked to shut down some of the lander's equipment to save power while investigating the issue.

This was the second Moon landing in a week by a Texas company under Nasa's commercial lunar delivery program. Sunday's landing was fully successful.

Athena descended from lunar orbit as planned, with the hourlong descent going smoothly until the final approach when the laser navigation system malfunctioned. Mission Control took some time to confirm the touchdown.

Later, CEO Steve Altemus told reporters: "We don't believe we're in the correct attitude," an aeronautical term for orientation. He added that the lander's position could limit power generation and communication, impacting the mission's success.

The lander's destination was Mons Mouton, a flat-topped mountain about 100 miles from the moon's south pole. That is closer to the moon's south pole than any previous spacecraft has landed.

After becoming the first private company to land on the Moon last year, Intuitive Machines aimed for its second lunar landing on Thursday, carrying payloads to support future human missions.

The spacecraft, named Athena, is almost the same as Odysseus, the lander Intuitive Machines sent to the Moon last year. Odysseus was the first commercially operated vehicle to land on the Moon, but it tipped over shortly after landing.

The 15.6-foot (4.8-meter), hexagonal Athena lander is about the height of a giraffe.

Intuitive Machines' February 2024 landing was partly affected when the lander tipped over, an issue the company hopes to avoid this time.